Wherever You Are
by Dreamtigers
Summary: i carry your heart with me, i carry it in my heart


_One day I will write something over 2000 words, until then, have another friendship tidbit._

_Fair warning: It's sappier than a Sugar Maple tree. Sorry._

* * *

Left behind. _Again_. And this time he hadn't even had the guts to face her; he had had snuck away just a day after reading the King's letter. He hadn't said goodbye to Riku either, or even his parents. He left them all.

Kairi knew she wasn't being fair. She knew it was selfish and petty and all sorts of un-Princessly things to be mad at Sora for going. He had a duty, a destiny, and it was a simple fact that no one else could do it. But they _just got home_. All the pain they'd been through, all the terrible things they'd seen and done—it was just about to be _worth it_. The three of them together for the first time in over a year. How could Mickey take Sora away from that? How could Sora let him?

Well one thing was certain—she was _through_ pining away for him. He wouldn't find her waiting on the beach when he got home (_if_ _he got home_) ready to forgive everything. The world needed him, but damn it, _they _needed him too! And she had thought that he needed them.

_Well, if he doesn't care, I don't care_. And just to prove how much she didn't care, she decided to visit the little island and take a long walk. No way was she going to rearrange her life again to avoid the place just because it reminded her of him.

That was how she happened across the bottle drifting by the shore.

With the mood she was in she wasn't inclined to stop and pick it up, even for the sake of their island's fragile ecosystem. But then she saw the curl of paper inside, and one thing she had learned in the past year was to never dismiss a message in a bottle.

She popped the cork out with a little difficulty and shook the letter into her hand, dropping the bottle to unroll it.

_Dear Kairi,_

_Hi. How are you? I'm fine. I'm at Disney Castle with Donald, Goofy and King Mickey while they plan out our next move. I wanted to try this bottle thing, but I've never really written a letter before and I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say. And even if this works, I'm not sure you'll read it._

_You're probably real mad at me. I bet Riku is too. I don't even want to think about my mom and dad. I'm really, really sorry, Kairi. I had to go. I know you didn't want me to, but I __have__ to. This is what being Keyblade Master means. And it sucks, and I wish it was different, but I'll do what I have to keep the universe safe, keep Destiny Islands safe, keep __you__ safe. And if that means leaving you and Riku behind, I think it's worth it, even if you never talk to me again._

_I know I'm messing this up. You wrote me that beautiful letter, and I can't even say what I want to say. You guys are more important to me than anything, and I'm messing up. I'm not good with words like you._

_I know you worry about me, Kairi. Believe me, I worry about you too. And it doesn't make it easier that we're in two different worlds. But whenever I miss you, I try to remember that we've been closer than any other people ever have. And even if I don't really have your heart with me anymore, our hearts still know each other. So that means we can never really be apart or alone, doesn't it? Whenever I'm thinking of you, you're with me. And I'm thinking of you all the time._

_I can't wait to come home. Please try to keep my parents calm, it was awfully hard on my mom last time I left. And please take care of Riku. I still worry about him._

_I'll try to be there as soon as I can, Kai. And because I know you'd say it if you were here, yes I'll be careful and not take on too many Heartless by myself and I'll wear sunblock and dress warm and everything._

_Please don't be too mad at me._

_Love, __Sora_

Kairi closed her eyes and bit her lip, turning her face toward the sky. "I'm thinking of you too, Sora. And that means you're here, right? A part of you will always be with Destiny Islands—with us. Many worlds, one sky. Sorry I forgot." And suddenly she felt like smiling for the first time in days. It was kind of funny, talking out loud like he could hear her.

She grinned at that thought, and just in case it was true, she shouted out over the ocean, "Don't think this gets you off the hook with Riku and me! You are in _so much trouble_ when you get home!"

* * *

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in

my heart)i am never without it(anywhere

i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done

by only me is your doing,my darling)

i fear

no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want

no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)

and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows

higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

* * *

_The poem is by e.e. cummings in case anyone didn't know. It's pretty much there for reference, since it inspired this story. Not only is it one of my very favorite poems, but it always reminds me of Sora and Kairi in KHI._

_... And I realize upon my 231st read-through that the tone here turned out a lot more romantic than I had intended. Oops. Oh well, take it however you want._

_Thanks for reading! Any advice?_


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